Report: 40,000 Windows Phone 7 devices sold

A new report pegs launch day sales around 40,000 units, which is lower than most estimates. Windows Phone 7 hit store shelves this week in the U.S., after launches in other parts of the world last month.

Microsoft's new smartphone platform is off to what could be considered a slower start than expected in North America. That's according to The Street, which has released a report saying that the company sold some 40,000 units on its first day on the market.

That number does not come from Microsoft, which has not yet released sales numbers and refused to comment to both The Street and CNET, but rather a source in a market research firm.

Windows Phone 7, which is the follow-up to Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 platform, hit shelves in the U.S. and Canada on Monday. Before that, WP7 devices had come to stores in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand in late October.

CNET hoofed it to two major carrier stores in San Francisco on launch day and came back with the impression that both the inventory and sales of the launch devices had been quite low, though the scene had been different in other cities and retail locations, where some stores were selling out.